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¨,~:%£@#@# several centuries after it had last #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ belonged to us, we went on an outing to @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# the glass factory that bore our family #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ name. it had changed owners many times @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ since our ancestors death, and then £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% stood abandoned for a long while. %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ finally, the natural end station for £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ the buildings that survive: a museum, @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# and a gift shop. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# there's a long time since my family #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ made anything. by many, we would be @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# considered poor. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ there are two main factory buildings, £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% domed things of several floors, made in %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ yellow brick. large but narrow windows, £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ reminescent of some cathedral. @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# custom-made glass, of course, large and #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ leaded, and ashen. a bit too dark to be @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# practical. on the eastern building, #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ some are shattered. @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ the other one is publicly open. there's @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ a museum, with wax figures of my great £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% great great grandfather, or something. %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ various tools (or replicas) laid out on £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ tables, with explaining texts. a lot of @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# glass of varying thickness. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# %% #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ %% %% @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ %% %% @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ %% £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ i quickly sneak out, and climb into the £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ other building. the contrast is @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# overwhelming. it must have stood #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ derelict for a long time, windows @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# broken, metallic trash and pools of #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ dark glass all over the floor. no @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# electric lights, but i can see by the #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ light that shines in wherever the dark @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ windows are missing a pane. £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ however, the greatest difference is the £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ higher floors: this building has none. @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# it is one massive hall, stretching away #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ infinitely above me. somewhere up there @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# is some great iron latticework, from #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ where chains are suspended, and parts @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# of machinery has been falling down. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ there is, in the middle of the great £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% hall, a thin spiral staircase that %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ leads up there. i sneak over there, and £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ take a few reluctant steps. after just @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# a revolution, i notice that for each #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ step the building starts to glow, the @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# bricks turning a dark red, and then #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ orange, all the piled up debree being @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# lit from behind. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ i stop ready to run down and out, but £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% there's someone else on the staircase %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ with me now, pressed close. he's £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ looking like me, short hair and thin @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# arms, but with ears from some animal, #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ and more disturbingly, completely made @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# of dark liquid glass. #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# %% #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ %% %% @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% %% %% %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ %% £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# my fear holds me in place while he #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ starts operating levers and dials set @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# in the center of the staircase. slowly, #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ it starts spinning, circling upwards. @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# it's an elevator! i start to run #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ downwards, but now the liquid boy @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ creature grabs hold of me. i try to £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% shake him off, but he's too strong, and %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ pulls me back up beside him. £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# this time, i turn angry instead. what #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ the hell? who is this guy, acting like @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# this? i reach out my free arm and slam #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ a random lever. some metal bar is @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# suddenly released between us, hitting #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ him on the arm, forcing my release. i @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ shove him off of me, and he falls into £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% the levers, messing them up. %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ immediately, a thin rusty chainmail £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ curtain is dropped around me. but the @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# elevator also speeds up significantly. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# the walls are flaring now, yellow, #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ white, almost blue. i close my eyes and @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# curl into a ball. but then, the glass #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ boy screams, a piercing sound that @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ forces my eyes back open. i watch as he £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% becomes too liquid, his body pooling %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ down in his now massive tail, and the £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ tip of it suddenly breaks of in a glass @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# drop that falls toward the factory #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ floor. @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ he's crawling on the stairs, unable to @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# keep his body upright. can't reach the #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ levers, claws at my chainmail cage, @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ while his body is turning into dark £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% pearls. finally, he's lost too much of %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ himself and the scream is cut short. £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ the last of him rains down. @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ i still can't reach the levers from @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# within my cage. looking up, i try to #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ make out the ceiling, but it's all a @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# whirling sea of colours. below me glows #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ the hellfire of the factory walls, but @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ very faint. i sit down, curl back up, £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% become still. %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ %% @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# %% %% #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ ~~~~~~~ % % ~~~~~~~ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# %% %% #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ %% @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ a large clunk shakes my entire body, @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ and snaps me back into reality. i'm £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% back at the factory floor, but the %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ stairs are still moving slightly, £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ clicking in place, carrying me the last @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# few centimeters. i came from below, #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ somehow. the chainmail is retracted, @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨,~:%£@#@# and i slowly dismount the stairs. #@#@£%:~,¨
¨¨,~:%£@#@ @#@£%:~,¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# shaking and crying, i make my way over #@£%:~,¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ the factory floor, wading through dark @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ glass marbles. a quick glance down, and £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,~:% i see there's something faint inside %:~,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,~:%£ them. embryos? are these eggs? £%:~,¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,~:%£@ @£%:~,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨,~:%£@# i shudder, and climb back out. #@£%:~,¨¨¨
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